And that's the point, according to The Pyramids owner Tarek Guirguis.

"We even had the walls painted with hieroglyphics to look like an Egyptian temple," said Guirguis, who opened this Honolulu Advertiser Ilima award- winning eatery more than a decade ago. "We want guests to feel like they're in the Mediterranean and not on Oahu."

Because the Mediterranean comprises of countries that are closely situated to one another, it's not surprising that Egyptian dishes are greatly influenced by Turkish, Lebanese and Greek cuisines.

For example, while it's called gyro in Greece, it's known as shawerma in Egypt. And regardless of cultural term, they both consist of marinated strips of beef and lamb ($13.95).

The same holds true for the tzatziki (Greek) and the zabady (Egypt), dips that are made with a velvety blend of yogurt, grated cucumber and garlic.

Except for a different intonation when pronouncing moussaka ($14.95) in Egypt, this dish is still prepared like the Greek version, which combines alternate layers of fried eggplant and ground beef.

"We now have a vegetarian version," Guirguis said. "And it tastes just as good."

The dish that Guirguis highly recommends is the reiash ($18.95), lamb ribs marinated for two days and charbroiled over a low fire. The meat has a little fiery zing, which comes from flecks of red chile peppers. It's easily tameable, though, with a dollop of sour cream or a side of zabady.

Another personal favorite of Guirguis' is the marinated tiger shish shrimp ($16.95), accompanied by aromatic basmati rice and garlic-mayo sauce.

Vegetarians also have a variety of options, including the "Sphinx" ($13.95), which combines half a Greek salad with hummus, falafel and spanakopita; and the "bamia" ($11.95), okra cooked slowly in a thick tomato sauce.

For lunch, the restaurant rolls out an affordable $9.95 all-you-can-eat buffet, featuring such items as shawerma, falafel, tabbouleh, hummus, bamia, potato salad, rice pudding and Greek french fries.

While clearing tables and replenishing the chafing dishes during lunch this past Tuesday, Wafaa Guirguis, Tarek's spouse, said they get a lot of regulars who make a beeline for the buffet once they enter the restaurant.

"They don't even wait to be seated," she said. "They just say hi and they head directly for the pita, hummus, tabbouleh, salad and shawerma."

And many of them return at least three times before calling it quits.